Medical expert of the article

Thoracic surgeon

New publications

Causes of hemoptysis

Alexey Kryvenko, medical expert
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024

All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.

We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.

If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.

Causes of hemoptysis (a cough with blood) can be divided into three groups.

Inflammatory diseases - bronchoectatic disease, bronchitis, pulmonary tuberculosis (involving bronchi or cavernous process), lung abscess, pneumonia (especially caused by Klebsiella), ARVI.
Neoplasms are lung cancer (primarily bronchogenic).
Other conditions, among which it is especially important to distinguish:
- PE;
- an infarct of the lung;
- acute left ventricular failure;
- congestive heart failure;
- mitral stenosis (leading to very pronounced pulmonary hypertension);
- traumatic injuries (including the presence of foreign bodies in the respiratory tract and lung contusion);
- primary pulmonary hypertension;
- treatment with anticoagulant drugs.

Frequent causes of hemoptysis (cough with blood)

Bronchogenic Cancer
Bronchiectasis (especially in the absence of sputum)
Pulmonary tuberculosis
Lung infarction
Increase in pulmonary pressure due to debilitating cough
Abscesses and gangrene of the lungs
Acute pneumonia, usually croupy
Acute bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis with viral damage
Heart disease (mitral stenosis)
Congestive heart failure
Foreign bodies of bronchi
Injury of pharynx and airway

Rare causes of hemoptysis (cough with blood)

PE
Goodpasture Syndrome
Vasculitis (Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic polyangiitis)
Lung infection in diffuse connective tissue diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus)
Pulmonary arteriovenous fistulae
Thrombocytopenic purpura
Actinomycosis of the lungs
Hemophilia
Rondu-Osler Syndrome (congenital telangiectasia)

trusted-source [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7], [8]